Could Jefferson Become the Newest State in the United States?

“I t’s time to start over! The State of Jefferson would be free of over-regulation, over taxation, and under representation. A new state that would exercise its right under the 10th Amendment to halt the Federal government from over-reaching laws according to the US Constitution. We need to ensure that the income generated in our state stays in our state. We need a state with fewer agencies, less taxes, fair representation, less bureaucracy, state sovereignty, and more personal freedom.”

Could Jefferson Become the Newest State in the United States?

This is the message over at what appears to be the official Internet web site of the proposed state of Jefferson, which would be named after the third president of the United States and consist of 21 counties — 19 of which already have declarations of intention to secede — that are currently part of northern California and southern Oregon.

Not a New Proposal

The movement to create this specific new state named after Thomas Jefferson was first raised in October of 1941; and who was to be the first governor of Jefferson was even inaugurated before the movement suddenly ended — primarily because of the bombing of Pearl Harbor by Japanese forces on Sunday, December 7, 1941, which created a strong sense of unity throughout the United States and propelled the country into World War II.

In 1992, all of the proposed 31 counties of Jefferson involved in an advisory vote had voted in favor of the state of California being split in two — except Humboldt County, which did not have the issue on the ballot — and the legislation which was introduced as a result in an attempt to split the state died in committee.

The movement was launched yet again on Tuesday, September 3, 2013 and is the current call for the formation of the state of Jefferson. Yreka is a candidate to become the state capital of Jefferson; and the state itself would be slightly smaller in area than West Virginia.

Summary

I thought that Independence Day in the United States would be a good time to report on the proposed new state of Jefferson, which wants to gain independence from California and Oregon.

I have driven on United States Highway 101 along the Pacific coast through what would be proposed as the state of Jefferson; and I have even driven through a redwood tree there. The mountainous and heavily wooded terrain and coast are both beautiful and breathtaking; and I would certainly recommend visiting this region of the United States…

…but do you believe that it should become the state of Jefferson, which would be the newest state in the United States? What are your thoughts about what could be state number 51 in the United States? Would you travel there to visit?

*eyeroll*
It’s all fun and games until they actually realize that running a country takes more than a bunch of gun-toting yokels with bad attitudes. Even if they were to become the 51st state, they are still beholden to the Federal Government and their sovereign citizen nonsense would not fly. Just ask those jerks that took over a bird sanctuary. Well…the ones who didn’t get shot when they tried to fight their way out. LOL

I live in Mendocino county in what is the proposed state of Jefferson, people in Northern California are just sick of how the rest of the state pass laws that they think benefit the whole state but they don’t think on how this effects the North. I work in Timber industry and just to get trees cut in private land for lumber the process can take 6months to over a year! Their is just to many laws that are good for so-cal that just make things tougher for nor cal

If they can achieve and maintain al the goals stated, even if they can’t achieve the level of independence from the Federal Government that seems to be the biggest hurdle – I would be all for this.

Our political system only works if policies (both good and bad) are allowed to follow their natural course. If California’s Political direction is screwing a portion of its citizenship, and those passing the laws cannot be reasoned with, more power to them in getting out and letting the lawmakers figure out how to fix their own mess.

This is technically called partition, not secession, if they are becoming the 51st state. While unlikely, these counties would need the approval of both state legislatures (unlikely) and Congress (probably more unlikely).

Article IV, Section. 3, Clause 1 of the United States Constitutions provides:

New States may be admitted by the Congress into this Union; but no new States shall be formed or erected within the Jurisdiction of any other State; nor any State be formed by the Junction of two or more States, or parts of States, without the Consent of the Legislatures of the States concerned as well as of the Congress.

There is precedent (i.e. Maine, West Virginia), but it hasn’t happened since the Civil War when West Virginia broke off from Virginia.